Single Take: This Song Is Awful/Awesome And You Are Stupid for Liking/Not Liking It

by josh keller · April 22, 2018

Single Take is a Reviler feature where multiple people give a passing glance at some new music and causally rank it somewhere between 1 (Justin Beiber) and 10 (really amazing). Fun, right? Check out the latest installment below and feel free to tell us who stupid and out of touch we are based on our opinions. Arguing on the internet: the greatest of American traditions.

Our guest contributor this week is Luke Heiken, the mastermind behind Drone Not Drones. The 2018 version of Drone Not Drones is now available for purchase on Bandcmap, with proceeds as always going to Doctors Without Borders. It is 61 performances from the 28-hour continuous drone, featuring both great local bands and a mind-boggling collection of national and international artists including Loscil, Forma and News Cline. Check it out, enjoy this amazing collection of music and throw in some money for a really good cause.

Jon (8/10)
I have a hard time thinking of anything really notable about this song but I really like it just the same. I have a pretty particular folk-rock sweet spot and this pretty much nails it – melodious but not too poppy. Lyrics that are just weird enough. Great vox. Hmm, what else? I don’t know – that’s gonna have to be enough.

Luke (7/10)
I feel like I am being influenced by the video but this sounds like witchy country music. Slightly hypnotic music, dreamy vocals but with a slight twang.

Josh (6/10)
Countrified dream-pop done really well. Not really my scene, but I appreciate the lush production and strong melodies, along with Williamson’s cathartic vocals. Seems like an artist who is going to make a big spash. Hate my be slightly too strong of word for my feelings about the video, but not by much.

Jon (6/10)
I admit, I skipped forward to where the song started so I am not sure what the video is all about. Not a fan of music videos where the music doesn’t happen until minutes in. Maybe its because the song is only a little over a minute long and needed some extra time padding? Anyway, I like this artist and and this song is decent. Sort of feels like it fades out just as getting started though and not like in a “minute of compressed energy punk type of thing” but more like a s sprint that you realize you can’t keep up for the whole race.

Luke (7/10)
Shimmery garage music. Some Phil Spector vibes happening.

Josh (7/10)
Would have given this a higher rating if I hadn’t been subjected to a dumb three-minute intro. Another solid slab of dreamy garage-pop from a band that I have enjoyed for a while. Not sure why they haven’t seemed to break through to the next level of prominence. Maybe because of their stupid music videos that hold you hostage for three minutes before playing any music? Just a theory.

Luke (4/10)
Maybe I am missing something here but the first half just didn’t do anything for me. The 2nd half sounds like a car commercial.

Jon (7/10)
A pretty solid return for GGD whom I haven’t really thought about in some time. Theirs is a sound I have never really craved but I can respect.

Josh (3/10)
Was really excited to see this band back after a long break, but this feels tepid and uninspired. In a sin worse than trying something interesting and failing, this is just boring. Hope this isn’t indicative of the whole record, because that would be disapoitinzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Josh (8/10)
Might be getting some residual points because I like this album in general more than I like this particular song, but what the hell. The album is part homage to shoegaze-y pop and part a homage to muscular minimalist komische. The later is why the album may make it into my best of 2018 list, even if the former (represented in this song) drags just a little.

Jon (6/10)
Muddy kind of shoegaze-by-the-numbers but the eerie spoken word vocals are a nice touch.

Luke (6/10)
Sounds influenced by My Bloody Valentine or Dinosaur Jr but it also has this Pavement vibe to it. There are pieces I like but it doesn’t quite tickle me like I want it to.

Jon (7.5/10)
Would be an 8 except in this case the spoken word vox parts didn’t work for me. Otherwise I think this works really well as weird, spooky, industrial music. I really liked Eartheater when I saw her open for Sarah Neufeld a few years ago – she’s super original and talented.

Luke (7-10)
Whoa. Feels like there is a more traditional song hidden in this madness. This is probably even better experienced in an album context.

Josh (8/10)
Love this. Do I totally get it? No. Does it slightly creep me out? Yes. But I take these as positive attributes as music and art in general shouldn’t be by the numbers. No one would accuse Eartheater of that, and her latest offering is a mind-bending trip through a kaleidoscope of left-field pop music. Great stuff.

Luke (8/10)
This has so little going on and I love it. Gothy komische. Would have been surprised if it wasn’t Sacred Bones.

Jon (7/10)
Beginning to think that having a trippy video is a requirement for inclusion in this series. This one is definitely out there. The song itself is pretty good – kind of feels like garage prog or something. Like a prog vibe but without the excess often that comes with it. Its kind of minimal and psychedelic in a way I enjoy but I kind of want to hear in the context of the album. What’s the rest of this weird electro-fairytale like? Sacred Bones has a hit and miss catalogue for me so I hesitate to endorse without hearing more.

Josh (6.5/10)
One half of Moon Duo creates a slightly more goth-tinged version of her main band. Warm synths and a motorik beat help this chug forward, but it feels just a little bit sluggish. I am looking forward to hearing this whole LP as I’m guessing it will be a solid collection of kraut-y songs, which I’m always up for. Cool, off-kilter video as well.